Ashikala, Aśīkala: 1 definition

Introduction:

Ashikala means something in Hinduism, Sanskrit. If you want to know the exact meaning, history, etymology or English translation of this term then check out the descriptions on this page. Add your comment or reference to a book if you want to contribute to this summary article.

The Sanskrit term Aśīkala can be transliterated into English as Asikala or Ashikala, using the IAST transliteration scheme (?).

In Hinduism

Kavya (poetry)

[«previous next»] — Ashikala in Kavya glossary
Source: Wisdom Library: Kathāsaritsāgara

Aśīkala (अशीकल) is the name of the horse of king Kanakavarṣa, according to the Kathāsaritsāgara, chapter 55. Accordingly, “... and then the King Kanakavarṣa set out for the city of Kuṇḍina, in order to marry her, with mind at ease on account of his own irresistible valour, mounted on the horse Aśīkala, and he smote the Śavaras that inhabited the border forests, and took the lives of living creatures, like lions and other wild beasts”.

The Kathāsaritsāgara (‘ocean of streams of story’), mentioning Aśīkala, is a famous Sanskrit epic story revolving around prince Naravāhanadatta and his quest to become the emperor of the vidyādharas (celestial beings). The work is said to have been an adaptation of Guṇāḍhya’s Bṛhatkathā consisting of 100,000 verses, which in turn is part of a larger work containing 700,000 verses.

Kavya book cover
context information

Kavya (काव्य, kavya) refers to Sanskrit poetry, a popular ancient Indian tradition of literature. There have been many Sanskrit poets over the ages, hailing from ancient India and beyond. This topic includes mahakavya, or ‘epic poetry’ and natya, or ‘dramatic poetry’.

Discover the meaning of ashikala or asikala in the context of Kavya from relevant books on Exotic India

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